Some of my favorite childhood memories are of watching my mom sew.
My mom could make anything from fabric! Anything!
She had a machine that was housed in a cabinet. When not in use, the machine would be folded down inside the cabinet and the table extension folded over the top. You couldn’t tell that inside was a wonderful machine that, in my mother’s capable hands, made all sorts of beautiful things!
One of mom’s favorite things to make was soft-bodied dolls. She made their bodies, all of their clothes (including undergarments and shoes), gave them hair (either yarn or real hair), and either embroidered or painted on their faces.
The most treasured thing from my childhood is my Beth doll. Mom made a set of The Little Women dolls for my sisters and me in 1963. I was 5 years old at the time. Vickie got Meg and Jo, Nancy got Amy, and I got Beth. I still have her. She’s stained and raggedy, but oh, so loved! She’s the one on the left. The doll on the right was the first doll mom let me help to make. Also, well loved! Poor thing, the only clothing she has left is her slip!
Wow! I sure got off on a rabbit trail! I guess once I started down memory lane, it was hard to stop the momentum!
Back to the reason for this post. I wanted to share some photos of a wonderful sewing caddy that always stayed by mom’s sewing machine. It stands 31″ high, is 17″ wide and 5″ deep.
My mom was visiting a friend one day, and she showed Mom a sewing caddy that her husband had made for her. He was a craftsman and loved woodworking. Mom was so amazed at the ingenuity and workmanship of this caddy. The man and his wife surprised mom with one of her own! As far back as I can remember, Mom used this caddy for her sewing supplies. It’s probably almost as old as I am!
Many years ago, Mom passed it down to me. What a treasured blessing!
The outside is covered in what looks like a green-dyed leather. It’s probably an imitation leather, but, hasn’t cracked in all these years. The inside is, well, just plain cool!
In the top, left section, there are 10 wooden dowels upon which I have stacked spools of thread. Below them, are jars whose lids have been attached to the shelf with screws. I can simply untwist a jar, get the buttons I need from it and twist the jar back in place. Very handy! The bins on the bottom of each side are formed from metal. All of the edges have been folded to the inside so there are no sharp edges.
The inside is totally lined with fabric. The top right section has fabric pockets to hold smaller items.
In the second section on the right, is a shelf that folds up when needed. There are deeper pocket under that which hold my rolls of elastic and hook-and-loop tape, etc.
See why I call it The Coolest Sewing Caddy Ever!?
What kind of interesting storage piece or pieces do you have?
Share your story in the comments. I’d love to hear about them!
Today is a good day to make something. Maybe it will be your own unique sewing caddy.
Diane
Your doll story reminded me of my own mother. I still have a stuffed cat she made me when I was a child fifty plus years ago. It is made from red and white striped fabric and of a simple design. That sewing caddy is amazing. What a treasure.
Sometimes it’s the seemingly insignificant little things that end up being the greatest treasures. Thanks for sharing. 🙂